NCDPI & Home Base Biweekly Update 10/29/2015
North Carolina Public Schools <NCPublicSchools@public.govdelivery.com>
Thu 10/29/2015 12:39 PM
Biweekly submissions
To: Patty Hickman <Patty.Hickman@dpi.nc.gov>;
Updates for Users of the Home Base Suite of Tools
October 29, 2015
FALL 2015
TEACHER SPOTLIGHT
This week's Teacher Spotlight features Katy Rainey, a
participant in the Governor's Teacher Network. Rainey created
two units for the GTN, one about the American Revolution and
another called Creating a Government, a unit that spans the
creating of governments from history to the present day. She
shares tips about using lesson plans from Schoolnet with ease
and in a manner that meets the needs of every student in the
classroom.
SCHOOL & DISTRICT SPOTLIGHT
Tara Patterson, an elementary principal from Jones county public schools, is our featured presenter for
this week's School & District Spotlight. Patterson shares at the 2015 NCTIES Conference how her
district's teachers have delved into a deeper use of data for the Standards Mastery Reports, including a
greater utilization of reporting to improve and inform instruction. She shares how Jones county schools
have utilized classroom assessments, including implementing smart clickers and creating data teams
using Schoolnet's data reporting. EDUCATOR EFFECTIVENESS
Observation Calibration Training – It Works!
The NCDPI staff will provide school administrators with an online platform to improve their skills as
classroom observers using the NCEES rubric. Participants will be able to watch classroom videos,
observe instruction, rate teachers and receive immediate feedback as to the recommended ratings all
through the Home Base PD System.
When the calibrated training was tested as a pilot program, school administrators across the state
showed significant improvement in observation skills. The more lessons observers completed, the more
their scoring improved. For a complete description of this exciting professional opportunity for school
administrators, please visit the Observation Calibration Training website. Questions may be directed
to Kimberly Simmons.
GTN Research Modules Available
Three, self-paced modules based on action research projects developed by teachers for teachers
through the Governor’s Teacher Network (GTN) are now available through the Home Base PD System.
These modules showcase actual instructional techniques piloted in classrooms across the state.For a
complete description of these online modules, visit http://rt3nc.org/.
Flipped Classrooms: Action Research from the GTN Project
The focus will be on the effectiveness of flipped classrooms, highlighting the experiences of teachers,
affordances and constraints of the instructional strategy, and also best practices for educators wishing
to utilize the flipped classroom model with their students. (0.5 CEU)
The Reading and Writing Connection: Action Research from the GTN Project
This module will build a further understanding of the connections between reading and writing in the
classroom. (1.0 CEU)
Literacy Strategies in the Math Classroom: Action Research from the GTN Project
This module summarizes current research on literacy strategies for math instruction and highlights a few
specific strategies teachers can use during math instruction to improve literacy, especially as it relates
to math. (1.0 CEU)
Literacy Credit Now Available in Home Base PD System
The module, Preparation for Foundation of Reading Licensure Exam, provides an excellent resource for
teachers wanting to refresh their knowledge on the foundations of reading development and
comprehension.
For a full description of the course, please visit www.rt3nc.org. This self-paced module is worth 1.0
Literacy Credit.
Principal READY Sessions Launch in November
The fall Principal READY Meetings are scheduled regionally in November and December, 2015. The
2014-15 EE System data, new legislation, Analysis of Student Work (ASW) and student surveys are
topics covered in these sessions. Participants will interact with various data points including EVAAS and
student growth data using a PLN framework. Breakout sessions are differentiated and focus on the
needs of principals in each region based on feedback shared with Service Support Teams. Registration
begins October 5. Register here. Register for Webinars
Visit the NCDPI/Home Base calendar where you can register for Educator Effectiveness webinars for
2015-16. Fall 2015 flyer is available here. Online Modules and Self-Paced Mini Modules
Each of these online modules are 5-hour, self-paced modules [.5 CEUs]. Modules are available through
the NCEES / Home Base system using your usual login or the alternate log in, located here.
Contact Dr. Geetanjali Soni at geetanjali.soni@dpi.nc.gov if you have any questions about any Educator
Effectiveness courses, webinars or other professional development resources.
SCHOOLNET UPDATES
Schoolnet 17.0 Upgrade Planned for Nov. 13
The next release of Schoolnet version 17.0 is scheduled to
upgrade beginning at 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 13. The upgrade
and related processes will take about 15 hours to run and
complete. During this time the system will be down. Users will be notified when the upgrade is
complete. For more information about the new functionality and features of 17.0, please reference the
Release Notes. Below is a brief highlight of the changes coming with 17.0.
A brand new interface for test and item editing designed to make the authoring process more
efficient and intuitive.
Within the new test and item editing interface, a new standards selector tool allows the
searching of standards by text or standard ID, as well as the ability to search across multiple
standards documents in a subject area.
An enhanced Item Analysis Classrooms report disaggregates open response scores by rubric
trait, where applicable.
A new item type, called Checklist, can be created and placed on assessments. Checklists allow
students to select one or more answers to a question, either online or on paper.
Upgrade the Latest Version of ScanIt
The latest version of ScanIt available is 7.0.6 and is compatible with both Schoolnet 16.3 (our current
version) and Schoolnet 17.0 (the version we will upgrade to on Nov. 13). In order to make sure you have
the latest version, please launch ScanIt and check your version. If you have an older version please
uninstall the old version and then install the 7.0.6 version of ScanIt. You can find the latest tech
requirements related to Schoolnet, including ScanIt, by clicking on System Requirements at the bottom
of the screen when you are logged in to Schoolnet.
Searching for Latest Versions of Assessment Items
New assessment items are being added into the system. Here is a quick guide for how to find the
recently added items 1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Log in to Schoolnet
Hover over Assessment Admin
Click on Find an Item, Passage or Rubric
Click on Advanced Search
Use the Date Created fields to search from August 1 to the current date
Apply any other filters based on what you are looking for
Click Search Items
The search results will then only include new things that have been added to the system since August 1,
2015. This will allow you to only browse through the new materials that were added for the current
school year.
NEXT HOME BASE MAINTENANCE
WEEKEND NOV. 13-16
The next Home Base maintenance weekend is scheduled for Friday,
Nov. 13, through Monday, Nov. 16. The system will shut down
Friday at 5 p.m. The new Schoolnet 17.0 is scheduled to be
upgraded. Once maintenance is completed, a message will be sent to notify users that the system is up
and available for use at which time users will be able to access the new Schoolnet version. Following all
maintenance weekends and upgrades, users are strongly advised to clear computer caches and reboot
your systems. Home Base Alerts are available through Twitter, by subscribing here. Changes to Instructional Materials for Tabs—
Providers/Collections
When searching instructional materials within Schoolnet, there are
multiple providers/collections from which users can search and
access materials. Recently a few changes were made in Schoolnet to clean up the names of these
providers/collections, which are seen by the user as tabs on the instructional materials search page.
The information below provides the crosswalk from the old names to the new names.
New Tab Names (for Providers/Collections):
NC Materials—Formerly called Schoolnet, although the same materials are contained here, those being
materials created within the system or imported in at the state level.
NC LOR Resources—Formerly called “More…”; includes materials from the NC Learning Object
Repository (LOR) such as the materials from the Department of Cultural Resources and PBS Learning
Media.
Acquired Sci/SS—Formerly called OLE Sci/SS; no change has been made to these materials.
Aligned-SAS—Formerly called SAS; no change has been made to these materials.
Instr. Support—A brand new tab, and separated because the materials here are not standards aligned
because they can be used across multiple standards and grades to support instruction.
How to Access Training Materials on Schoolnet
Many users are looking to refresh or learn new things about how they can utilize all the components of
Schoolnet. As a reminder we do have training materials available on the website and there are materials
within Schoolnet and provided by Pearson. From within Schoolnet, you can click Help in the upper right
corner to get to user guides and user information to help you with basic Schoolnet functions. Below are
additional options for accessing training materials for Schoolnet. Click on the highlighted name to
access the link:
NC Home Base website Schoolnet Training Materials Archived webinars and videos Pearson site for Schoolnet training materials (site will ask for name and email upon first visit)
We encourage you to share this Update. For past issues of recent Home Base Biweekly Updates, please
visit ​Biweekly Updates. T​o review an archive of updates from 2014, go h​ere.
LINKS: PC users might need to press the CTRL button when clicking on a hyperlink. Please contact
Patricia Hickman at patty.hickman@dpi.nc.gov ​if you experience issues with newsletter links.
To direct new users of Home Base to join our lists to receive the Biweekly Newsletter, go
here: https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/NCSBE/subscriber/new. To follow Home Base Alerts on Twitter, sign up ​here.​
Patricia Hickman | Communications Specialist
Communication and Information Services | NC Department of Public Instruction
Phone: 9​19.807.3451 ​| Fax: 9​19.807.3481
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